- General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns
The General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (GCCUIC) addresses the interreligious and ecumenical concerns of
The United Methodist Church . The GCCUIC's office is located at The Interchurch Center inNew York City . The Commission's President isAnn Sherer and the interim General Secretary is BishopFitz Mutti . The Ecumenical Officer of the Council of Bishops isWilliam B. Oden and serves as the corporate ecumenical officer of TheUnited Methodist Church , working in collaboration with GCCUIC.This organization is the
United Methodist Church 's face in theecumenical community developing relationships with other church bodies and is diligently seeking relationships with other faith bodies such asMuslim ,Hindu ,Buddhist andJewish communities to manifest the unity God has already given and for which Christ prayed (John 17:20-21). It also diligently seeks relationships with other faith bodies, heeding the prophets’ andJesus ’ call to live lives of compassion, peace, justice, and stewardship of our natural world.The GCCUIC’s leadership role in ecumenism extends to facilitating deeper relationships and understandings within the United Methodist connection and with other churches in the
Methodist family. For example, the GCCUIC and United Methodist Communications developed a DVD/CD, Can We Talk? Christian Conversations About Homosexuality, that facilitates the building of understanding amongUnited Methodist Church members who may disagree on the controversial issue of homosexuality. The resource does not advocate a position, but teaches methods of holy conferencing around potentially divisive issues and provides material for church groups to explore their positions within theological and biblical parameters. The Commission’s relationships with other Methodist bodies are mainly facilitated through its membership in theWorld Methodist Council and the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union.The GCCUIC has engaged in bilateral dialogues to further United Methodist relationships with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), theEpiscopal Church , and theRoman Catholic Church . The UMC and ELCA have proposed and adopted Interim Eucharistic Sharing. A statement of common faith written with a study guide, Confessing Our Faith Together, has been distributed for study and response. GCCUIC endorses a resolution for full communion, and the ELCA will consider the same resolution at its church wide assembly in 2009. An agreement of Interim Eucharistic Sharing has also been reached between the UMC and the Episcopal Church. A statement with a study manual, Make Us One With Christ, has been distributed for joint study in local congregations. Dialogues with the Catholic Church included a visit toVatican City in April 2006, wherePope Benedict XVI and CardinalWalter Kasper of thePontifical Council for the Promoting Christian Unity received an official United Methodist delegation and discussed aspects of dialogue and relationship and the global nature of the two communions. In addition, GCCUIC continues to initiate and pursue dialogues with other faith communities.The United Methodist Church’s relationships with other church bodies are also strengthened through the GCCUIC’s membership in the
National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America (NCCCUSA) and theWorld Council of Churches (WCC). Recently, NCCCUSA initiatives have included a focus on addressing poverty and church development through the Special Commission for the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. Plus, the eradication of poverty, malaria, and HIV-AIDS has been a focus of the WCC.Interfaith relations have been addressed by affiliations with the NCCCUSA’s Interfaith Relations Commission, Religions for Peace, as well as several Muslim and Jewish organizations. The Interfaith Relations Commission has developed print and electronic educational and resource materials to be used by local congregations and regional groups for interfaith encounters. The Commission also prints resources for its congregations, including “Basic Facts About Islam”, “Guidelines for Interfaith Dialogue”, a study guide entitled The Holocaust: A Christian Reckoning of the Soul, and Yom HaShoah worship materials.
The GCCUIC is committed to ecumenism, interfaith dialogue, and unity within The
United Methodist Church . It is unified through the one body and one Spirit to witness to “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). Working to discover how divine grace is evident in other faith communities, the Commission helps discern how to be Christian neighbors and witnesses. As a result, the GCCUIC fully commits to representing The United Methodist Church in fulfilling Christ’s mission.External links
* [http://www.gccuic-umc.org/ General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (GCCUIC)]
* [http://www.gccuic-umc.org/fallmtg10_04/mtgsummary.htm GCCUIC Fall 2004 Board of Directors Meeting]
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